Weft detector for box looms



Dec. 1, 1931. s, A, NELSON 1,834,346

wEFT DETECTOR FOR BOX LooMs Dec. l, 1931. s A, NELSQN 1,834,346'

WEFT DETECTOR FOR BOX LOOMS Filed April 17, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Qtt ornens Patented Dec. 1, 1931 UNITED-:STATES 1 PATENT IFFI SAMUEL A. NELSON, 'or WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS; l-Assreivon ATo cEoMPToN a.

xNowLEs Loon wonxs, E WORCESTER, MAssAcHsETTs, A conroRATION oF MASSACHUSETTS I Application led' v April 17,

looms and itis the general obj ect of the in- A vention to provide improved means formoving a single teeler into operative position with respect to the shuttle which is to. become active. z

In a loom Voperating with a pair of shift` ing shuttle boxes at each: i end and two shuttles each active but-onepick ata time. it is desirable to eiiect aachangein the'. loom operation-when the :weft :of thef'active shuttle is exhausted. In such a loom there is always an idle shuttle and an active-shuttle. lt is an important object ofmy present invention to provide ameanszfor. moving .the feeler from one. to the other of the shuttle v boxesby an indication ,given 'by and dependent upon the vposition of the boxes to be related to the shuttle about to becomeactive. The boxes ordinarily shiftv with respect to the lay when the latter is in the forward partk ci its strollze, and it is Ydesirabl'ethat the feeler s move with the selected box during this period. It is an importantobjectofmy present invention to accomplish this .result by providing means a part of` which are set by the shitting of the boxes so that prior to the next period of box shift thedetector will bef moved to a new, position. 1 tind it convenient- `to accomplish this result byy means of a'lever or the like which changesits positionwith respect to fixed -paths of movement of two lay carriedr actuators, the latter being eiiective during .the backward movement of the lay at a time when the boxes are away from the de-v tector to shift the "position of the latter with regard to a` positioner or carrier. which it self moves with the boxes. A .40

lth the-se and'other objects in vView .which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement ofparts hereinafter described andset Vforth in the claims.

1n the accompanying drawings,.wherein a convenient embodiment. of my invention is set forth, v Y y p Fig. 1 is a side elevationof-a portion of a loom having my invention applied thereto,

the shifting shuttle boxes which are on the;

wErT `DETECTORY EOE nox Looms 1931.- serial No. L 530,910.

section'. p.

F ig. 2 is a top plan view of "a Y portion of the mecnanismshown 1n Fig. 1,

Fig 3 is aperspective view showing` thei oscillatinglever and its actuators, and

FigsA and 5 are diagrammatic views illustrating certain operations-.of the mechanism. .'Reerring lto Figs. 1 and 2, I have shown a loom frame and a lay 11 mounted on a sword 12 which moves about a rocker shaftv 13 by mechanismnot shown but wellunderstood. A shuttle boxstructure 1t-ismovable vertically with respectto the lay by. a box litter rod 1.5 which maybe operated in any@ approvedmanner, as bya link 16 connected to any form `of box motion, so that` either the upper box 17er the lower box 18 may beoper- :atively positioned with respect tothelshuttle upper?,

race 19. rlhis means Vthat either the shuttle S `orthe lower shuttle S may be active, dependin-gupon: the demands of the pattern., l

VTheweft detector, which is shown-,for illustrative purposes as` of the side slip type, comprises a feeler arm 20 havingv a weft engagingtip 21 and is supported by adetector frame;22. The ydetector is pivoted as at 23 toa slide 24, and these movingparts are held yieldingly in rearward position by meansof'a light compression spring 25 locate'din theV casing 22 and .bearing against they arm 20. Suitable stops may bey provided tolimit both angular and longitudinal movements, of .the detectorin a manner similar .to that set forth" ,in prior patent to Payne No. 1,738,198. 1

Whensuicient weft fw is present the slide 24 will move forwardly and the detector will V,be held against substantial angular movement. l/Vhen exhaustion is present, however, the slide may remain at rest and the detector will swing around its pivot 23 to cause the i arm 20-to engage an indicating wire 26. -The latter is pivotally mounted in a smallbearing frame 27 and is held by means of a light tension spring 28 in normal position againstthe detector arm 20. Angular ymovement of fthe detector will swing the wire 26 against the action of spring 28 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2. 4Such motion will result in a longitudinal movement to the right of a controller 29 attached to the wire 26.

The matter thus far described forms no part of my present invention, the detector en- 5 gaging the weft of one or another of the invention into effect I mount .the..detector casing on a bracket which is provided at its lower end with a hubwlllihavinge sliding engagement with respect to a vertical rod A42. Thediatteris alsomounted orsliding movement, being guided by iXed upper and lower .guide bearings 143 an'd44, respectively. An arm is secured by means of screw 46 'to .theklower endrorP the ro`d42 and has a slot 47 thereinto receive a'li'ftinglpin 48 `:carried by .thecollar .49. Thelatter is sel #curedl to.- the= boxA lifter rod l5. and moves .ver-

itically with thelatter. =llrom the. mechanism thustar described it will be seen that the vboXes-and rod 542 -rise and fall together.

.Alever supportingfarm 5() has la hub 5l '.whichzis-secured by means rif-screw` 52 in adjusted vertical positon on. rod .42. Secured to mounted a threeearm" lever 54. The latter. has a substantially horizontal arm slotted. as

.at56..to1receivea pin 57 securedtothe hub arm 50. rIhe spring acts as a yieldinglock .1 to hold the lever54-in`eitlrer ottwo posi-- 'tions to which: it maybe moved byy mechanism tobe described.

fSecured tothe=under side of theilays a :bracketir to which .isfadj ustablyv secured. an f upperuactuator pinV hmovable'. in slet 6T and .1

. also. al vsimilar lower. actuatorpin. 68 adjustl'ay bymeans of a nut Oso. that. theA :actuator .pin 66..and 681move back and forth-.withthe lay ithrough fixed paths.

.In describing the operation ofthe detector it willi be .assumed that the shuttle boxes are in'their raised. pos1t1on,fthe weft detector op- LDuring. the selecting movementsthe detector .54-.and the stand 40, which are geared' topositethe upper box, :andthe lay initsrearmost position, this condition ybeing repre- .waspreviously raised byv engagement ofthe beenthus'thrown in a counter-clockwise direction, thereby raisingthe detector. This 65.1forwardly the' shuttle bores will start to move:

the .armisa stud 53 on which ispivotallyN sented:diagrainmatically in Fig. 4. YRod-.42'

result was'accomplished duringthe backward downward, so that rod 42, collar 43, and lever 54 will all descend, thereby requiring downward movement of the detector with the upper box as the latter descends to active position. During this downward movement of .the boxes the lay moves forwardly, and

`then afterhaving passed "front "center starts to-move rearwardly. 1When it reaches approximately 4top center, onmidvposit-ion be- Utween front and rear extreme positions, the

top shuttlewill be pickedoutof 'theupper box. It exhaustion be presentintliis shuttle `the`detector will indicate s0 that a change willfber broughtabout in the operation of the'looin when the upper shuttle reaches the opposite si-de.,

As'theboxes come to rest the lever 54 -ireaches its low position with the .arm `55 -.raised,`. but atv this time the lower arm 59'will :lie in the path' of the rearwardly'moving bottompin 68 and as thelaynearsthe end ot its backward movement the last namedpin will :engage thetlever arm and m'ovethe latter in right handdirection around; its pivot. The .effect of wthis.moveineiitzisto lower the hub A:.41 by meansottheipin and vslot connection which :the latterihas with the lever 54, thus depressing;` theA detector. sozthat -tlie latter is opposite the bottom shuttle, beingpositioned by ,engagement .of thehub 4l `with the collar 5l. .Astheboxes rise onthe succeeding pick the :detector will be opposite the lower fshu'ttl-e, or .the one whichis .movin -action, and if .exhaustion exists therein a 4change.inthe: operationy of .the loom will be g into .called for by thel eeler.

From the :foregoing itxwill be seentthat I have' provided simple means for veh.anging the .position ofthe detector .with respectltothe .shuttleiboxes during thatpart of the cycle of ,thevloomfwhen .the shuttle boxes are away `'from the detector. More specifically, this result isaccompl-ished levery pick of the loom by the. use of. fapartwhich alternates' from one to "the other of two extreme positionsby a force Aablenn slot '69. Thebracket is .held tothe If derived from A.thel lay. .The detector. an'd vthe parts which control its'position .may be cengether, move with respect to the box-lifter rod f' and the positioning rod 42, but after the selecl Q tion has rbeen completed, Ithese parts y move lever 54 with upper pin 66, the lever having with the-boxes without substantial relative `vertical movement. Y

berina'clelthereinby thoseskilled in the lart without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventionrand I do not wishi to belimitedt-o :the detailshereindisclosed, but what I fclaimis:

- means and boxes to move the feeler l. Weft detecting mechanism for a loom having a lay and two shuttle boxes thereon which shift one toward and the other from active position every pick of the loom,a single feeler to be positioned to cooperate with either shuttle box, and a controller for the feeler operative every pick of the loom by a motion derived from the lay to position the detector to cooperate with the shuttiekbox moving toward active position.

2. l/Veft detecting mechanism for a loom having a lay and two shuttle boxes thereon which shift one toward and the other from active position every pick of the loom, a singie feeler to be positioned to cooperate with either shuttle box, means operative by a force derived from the lay to position the detector every pick of the loom in cooperative relation with respect to the shuttle box moving into action, and a connection between .the with the boxes as they shift; Y

3. Weft detecting mechanism for a loom having a lay and two shuttle boxes thereon which shift one toward and the other from active position every pick ofthe loom,'a single feeler to be positioned to cooperate with either shuttle box, a train of geared mechanism including an oscillatable elementV and a support for the feeieig'and means dependent upon shifting movement of the boxes .and movement of the lay to move said train to place the feeler cooperatively with respect to the box moving toward active position.

Il. Veft detecting mechanism for a loom having a lay and two shuttle boxes thereon which shift one toward and the other from active position, a single feeler to be positioned to cooperate with either shuttle box, a train of geared mechanism including an oscillatable element and a support for the feeler, and means dependent upon shifting movement of the boxes and movement of the lay to move said train every pick of the loom to piace the feeler' cooperatively with respect to the box moving toward active position.

5. i/Veft detecting mechanismfor a loom having a lay and two shutter boxes thereon whichshift one toward and the other from active position every pick of the loom, a single feeler to be positioned to cooperate with either shuttle box, a pair of regularly moving actuators on the lay, an oscillatable element movable with the shuttle boxes to be related to one or the other of said actuators at a time, and connections between the oscillatable element andthe detector to position the latter cooperatively with respect to the shuttle box moving into active position.

movable with the shuttle boxes into engagingv positionwith respect to one or the other of the actuators depending upon the positlon of the shuttle boxes, and connections between the oscillatable member and the feeler to position thel latter cooperatively with respect to the shuttle vbox to become active on the next pick of the loom'.

7.' Weft detecting mechanism for a loom having alay and two shuttle boxes thereon which shift Vone toward and the other from active position every pick of the loom, a single feeler to be positioned to cooperate with either shuttle box, weft detecting mechanism for a loom having two shuttle boxes, a single feeler to be positioned to cooperate with either shuttle box, a pair of regularly moving actuators, a lever movable about an axis which shifts with the shuttle boxes, said lever havingone arm to engage one of the actuators and another arm to engage the other actuator, there being buty one larm in engaging p0- sition with its actuator at a time, and connections between the lever and the feeler to position the latter by a force derived from one or anotherof the actuators depending upon the position of the shuttle box, in cooperative relation with respect to the shuttle box next to be active.

8. in weft detecting mechanism for a loom having a lay and a pair of shifting shuttle boxes each movable to active position, a box lifter rod to position the boxes, a single feeler, a feeler lifterv rod movable with the box lifter rod, a support for the feeler movable to either of two positions relatively to the feeler lifter rod, an element moving with the feelerlifter rod and connected to the support Y and movable in two directions, and means to move the element in one direction when the boxes are in one position and said means to move the element in the other direction when the boxes are in the other position, the element and support when in either position being` movable to the other position as the boxes shift to cause movement of the latter with the feeler.

In testimony whereof Ihave hereunto affixed my signature.

ASAMUEL A. NELSON.

6. Veft detecting mechanism for a loom` Y 

